How to make ceviche like in a Peruvian restaurant

Making a good ceviche is an art that takes practice to master, but its foundation is simple: traditionally it was the easiest way for fishermen to eat fresh fish, briefly tossing the chopped fresh fillet with salt and lime juice. The simple accompaniment would be nothing more than a little red onion, coriander and chili. Here we will analyze all the secrets to achieve a great ceviche.

Procedure:

If you want to serve your ceviche with sweet potato, yucca, sweet potato or corn, start by boiling them and reserve to let them cool.

Cut an onion into julienne, discarding the heart, and reserve. Dice then the fish into not very small bites (about 2cm), reserving those of the tip and sides, which have a more irregular shape or a harder texture. These “snippets” will be used later. Place the first ones in a metal bowl, salt and add a little of the cut onion. At this point, we can add ice or keep the bowl briefly in the refrigerator. Due to the effect of the salt, the fish will begin to lose a bit liquid. In this way, its texture becomes slightly firmer and more transparent.

Prepare the “leche de tigre” or “tiger milk”:

Next step is to prepare the “leche de tigre”, which is the dressing for the ceviche. Use those those discarded cuts of fish that we have reserved, and grind them together with a few small pieces of red onion, ginger, chili, celery (a small piece of stalk without leaves and peeled), a small clove of garlic and two ice cubes. Add salt, white pepper and the juice of the limes. In order to get this juice, press slightly the limes without any big pressure. Blend, add a few coriander stems, and blend briefly once more. If the result is too thick, can dilute it with some fish broth or water. When ready, pour the preparation into the bowl with fish and the ceviche will be ready in a few minutes. Let it rest briefly in the fridge, and prepare meanwhile the garnish on the plate.

How to serve the ceviche:

According to the use of each region, the ceviche is served accompanied in different ways. My suggestion is to serve it on a whole lettuce leaf, with some “tiger milk” as dressing and accompanied with corn and a few slices of sweet potato. A few slices of avocado also would go very well. I usually skip the tradition of serving it with roasted corn seeds or „cancha“. As a final detail, spread some chopped cilantro leaves and a few slices of chili over the ceviche, depending on the level of desired spiciness.

Tips and tricks:

1. Discard the seeds and the inner fibers of the chili, since the largest amount of capsaicin (the active component of hot peppers) is concentrated there.
2. When handling hot chili, it’s advisable to wear gloves or rub your hands with olive oil beforehand. Those who skipped this step and touched their eyes by mistake, know how much important is this warning…
3. There is a big variety of hot peppers in Perú, and the “rocoto” or “limo” are normally used for ceviche. But these are hard to find if you are not in South-America and any other available type will do well.
4. Make sure to boil the yuca until tender, in case you want to use it. This tuber is very healthy but can be also toxic when eaten raw.
5. Only the stalk of celery is added to leche de tigre because the leaves can be too bitter. Peel it in order to remove the fibers that may not get completely blended, which would affect the final texture.
6. Don’t replace the lime with lemon, since it would completely change the final result.
7. The limes are squeezed by hand and without excessive pressure. When done with a juicer, we would also obtain the juice closest to the edges, which is too bitter.
8. The coriander and its stems are added last and briefly while blending the leche de tigre. Otherwise, the final result would turn too green.
9. The ice cubes are important both to balance acidity and to maintain temperature.
10. “Purists” insist that the bowl used for the fish should be a metal and not plastic one, which help to keep a constant temperature.
11. The fish has to be very fresh, sashimi quality. Otherwise, it’s preferable to use a defrost one. In fact, in some countries like Spain, it’s mandatory for restaurants to freeze the fish if it will be used in any raw preparation like this, in other to avoid the potential risk of anisakis.
12. There are many varieties of fish that you can use, depending on which is available in your region. The easiest to get are tilapia, pangasius (catfish), sea bass, sea bream, sole, etc. On the other hand, it’s not advisable to use hake, cod or similar, since the texture will not keep firm enough.
13. It’s also possible to use oily fish, but since their content of fat is higher compared to white fish, the ceviche might turn too strong for some people. I personally enjoy tuna or salmon ceviche very much.
14. Another option is to prepare a seafood ceviche or a mixture of fish and shellfish.
15. Some chefs add a little of regular or condensed milk to the “leche de tigre”. This helps to get a nice white colour, and also softens the mixture in case of using too much chili.